In the West, a record-setting heat wave continues. On Sunday, Las Vegas, Nevada, tied an all-time record with a high of 117°F. The most extreme heat, relative to normal, has begun to shift into the Northwest, as moisture associated with the monsoon arrives in the Southwest. Nevertheless, several dangerous fires remain active in the Southwest, and lightning could spark additional blazes later today.
On the Plains, hot weather is confined to Montana, where warm, dry conditions are promoting winter wheat maturation and summer crop growth. Meanwhile, cool air continues to overspread the central and southern High Plains, where scattered showers are providing local drought relief.
In the Corn Belt, favorably dry weather prevails across the upper Midwest, easing residual lowland flooding and allowing wet fields to dry out. Meanwhile in the Ohio Valley, wet weather is halting winter wheat harvesting but maintaining abundant moisture reserves for corn and soybeans.
In the South, dry weather prevails from the western Gulf Coast region to the southern Appalachians. Meanwhile in the Atlantic Coast States, persistent showers and thunderstorms are slowing or halting fieldwork, but maintaining adequate to locally excessive soil moisture for pastures and summer crops.
Outlook: Hot weather will continue for the remainder of the week in the West, except for a turn toward cooler, wetter conditions in the southern Rockies. Heat will also overspread the northern High Plains. In contrast, cooler-than-normal conditions will cover much of the central and southern Plains, Midwest, and Southeast during the next several days. Meanwhile, a very wet weather pattern will persist for most of the week from the central and eastern Gulf Coast regions northeastward into New England. Five-day rainfall totals could reach 3 to 6 inches along the Gulf Coast and 2 to 4 inches in the eastern U.S. Rainfall may locally exceed an inch in the southern Rockies and adjacent areas. The NWS 6- to 10-day outlook for July 5-9 calls for near- to below-normal temperatures across the central one-third of the U.S., while warmer-than-normal weather will cover much of the East and West. Meanwhile, above-normal precipitation across the majority of the nation will contrast with drier-than-normal conditions in the Far West.